Police bust yields array of drugs, stolen property

CHESTER-An evening raid on a condominium in the Windridge subdivision in the Town of Chester last Thursday resulted in the arrest of an 18-year-old man and the recovery of an array of illegal drugs and stolen property. Police charged Christopher Piazza-Santos, 18, of 225 Eagleton Drive with two counts each of criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance, felonies; one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree, a felony; and criminal possession of marijuana in the fifth degree, a misdemeanor. He was arraigned in Town of Chester Court and remanded to Orange County Jail in lieu of $20,000 cash bail or $40,000 bond. Police found 60 hits of LSD eight ounces of marijuana, and stolen property in the condominium where Piazza-Santos lives with his mother. He was also found to be selling ketamine, a horse tranquilizer, said Brian Jarvis, Town of Chester Police Chief. The entire house appeared given over to the manufacture of these drugs, he said. Jarvis said the mother has been very cooperative with the police. She works out of town, he said. The town police started an investigation into the drug sales over the summer, when they were alerted to a higher-than-usual volume of traffic in the area and a rise in suspicious incidents. The police contacted the Orange County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Unit, whose under-cover officers arranged to make several purchases of controlled substances from Piazza-Santos. A search warrant was issued on Nov. 4 by the Town of Chester Justice Court and executed later that evening. The Sheriff's Emergency Services Unit assisted with the warrant. Members of the Sheriff's Community Emergency Response Team first entered the condo at about 6:20 p.m., securing it so that police officers and investigators from the town police and sheriff's office could execute the warrant. Piazza-Santos was taken into custody at the time of entry. No one was injured. Police are continuing their investigation into the property seized during the search warrant to determine what additional charges will be filed. Police are now trying to identify the owners of the stolen property. The bust comes after a four-month investigation by the town police and the Sheriff's Narcotics Unit into drug sales in the south end of Chester. Over the past year, the police have received numerous reports of larcenies and burglaries in the Windridge area. Police believe much of the stolen property wound up in the Eagleton Drive residence. The town police credit Sheriff Carl DuBois and his staff for building a good working relationship with local police departments, making investigations like this one possible. Paul Leonard, who lives next door to Piazza-Santos, has been an outspoken advocate of a 24-hour police department in the Town of Chester. Officers work only from 8 a.m. until midnight. Leonard said the bust supports his view that a greater police presence is good for the town. The police department works closely with Windridge homeowners on crime-prevention programs, which Leonard said led them to investigate the drug sales.